Lo-debar (Biblical Hebrew: לֹא דְבָר, לוֹ דְבָר, romanized: lōʾ dǝbār) was a town in the Old Testament in Gilead not far from Mahanaim, north of the Jabbok river (2 Samuel 9:4–5) in ancient Israel. It is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the home of Machir, a contemporary of David. (2 Samuel 9:4,5).
Lo-debar was also considered a ghetto town in biblical times. Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan was living in Lo-debar at the house of Machir, son of Ammiel, who was possibly a brother to David's wife Bathsheba (see 1 Chronicles 3 verse 5). King David showed loving kindness to Jonathan's son Mephibosheth by bringing him from Lo-debar and having him eat at the King's table regularly. (2 Samuel 9:1-13).
It is usually believed to be the same as Debir in the Tribe of Gad.(Joshua 13:26) The word means "no pasture,"(2 Samuel 17:27) "no word" or "no communication".
Possible locations are:
- Tel Dover (Khirbet ed-Duweir) in the mouth of Yarmouk River. Established as an Iron Age fortified settlement.
- Khirbet Umm ed-Dabar, Jordan Valley.
References
-
Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Lo-debar". Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.
- Arav, Rami (2008-01-01). Cities Through the Looking Glass: Essays on the History and Archaeology of Biblical Urbanism. Eisenbrauns. p. 89. ISBN 9781575061429.
- Ma'oz, Zvi Uri (1997). "Golan". The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East. p. 420. ISBN 0195112156.
- Freedman, David Noel; Allen C. Myers (2000-12-31). "Debir (place)". Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Amsterdam University Press. p. 331. ISBN 9789053565032.
- The לא spelling is found in 2Sam 17:28, while לו is used in 2Sam 9:4-5. According to some, the לא spelling is also found in Amos 6:13. לִדְבִר is found in Josh 13:26.
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